Ronin Shiori
by IBB
Summary: (PG for now, but rating might get upped later on) A wandering samurai turns up at a small dojo one day, trying to escape her past. But her past refuses to let her be, and she unknowingly puts her friends' lives in danger merely with her presence...
1. The Wanderer of Legends Part One

Ronin Shiori* By IBB  
  
*Masterless Samurai Shiori  
  
Me (IBB): This is sort of an Inuyasha + Rurouni Kenshin + Yu Yu Hakusho fic, except it doesn't have any of the characters from any of those shows, just ideas from them. The main character Shiori is based heavily on Himura Kenshin, especially in the way she talks ^_^  
  
animegirl101: You mean she says "that it is" and stuff?  
  
Me: *nods* Yup!  
  
animegirl101: *bursts out laughing*  
  
Me: Yes, I find it quite funny too. That's why she speaks that way, that it is. ^_^ But the thing is... *pauses and grins evilly* Well, you'll have to find out for yourself about that stuff....  
  
animegirl101: *stops laughing and looks expectantly at me* Huh? What were you gonna say?  
  
Me: *still grinning evilly* Oh, nothing. *secretly sets Inuyasha free and lets him walk within viewing range*  
  
animegirl101: *sees Inuyasha* INUYASHA!!! *runs after Inuyasha*  
  
Inuyasha: Eh? *sees animegirl101* Ah! WTF?! *is glomped by animegirl101* Whaddya think you're doing?!  
  
Me: Heh heh heh... *grins evilly* Well, let's get on with chapter one of the story!  
  
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Chapter One: The Wanderer of Legends  
  
((AN: "words" = regular speech, ~words~ = regular thoughts. And double parentheses = author's notes. [animegirl101: and "=" means she's being lazy...] Urusai! *whacks her with a Baka Fan of DOOM!* [animegirl101: *pouts & goes back to hugging Inuyasha*]))  
  
"What are we going to do?!" a young boy exclaimed, pacing back and forth across the dojo floor. He was only fifteen, with short, wild black hair. He wore a navy blue gi. His black eyes were focused on the walls as he viciously practiced with his wooden sword.  
  
A pair of little girls watched him. One had black hair and wore a pink kimono with a red sash. She too had black eyes. The other one had red hair and freckles, and wore a sky blue kimono with a white sash. They watched as the older boy paced and swung.  
  
"Who is she, to come in here claiming to be the legendary Shinimegami Kyosawa?!" he continued. "She is bringing disgrace upon the Kurushima name!" He turned and swung, but this time his sword got lodged in a crack in the wall. "The Kurushima sword style is not meant to kill!" he said as he attempted to pull his practice sword out of the wall. "But she's almost succeeded in killing ten people! And that was just with one small attack!" He managed to pull a little too hard and sent himself stumbling backwards. He ended up falling onto his butt with a loud "oof!" He picked himself up and winced. He glared at the wall where his sword had been lodged. "She even tried to go after poor Sobakasu!" he shouted, gesturing vaguely towards the red-head.  
  
Sobakasu stood up. She appeared to only be about six years old.  
  
"But Komaru-onii-san!" Sobakasu exclaimed. "Ojii-sama protected Sobakasu!"  
  
"Yes, but if ojii-san hadn't been there to protect you, you would have been killed!" Komaru retorted.  
  
The other girl stood up as Sobakasu began to pout. She looked to be about ten.  
  
"What about you? What if you had been in Sobakasu's place?" she retorted.  
  
"I would've stood my ground and fought back, imouto!" Komaru answered, folding his arms over his chest superiorly.  
  
"Yeah, right! I bet you would've run away screaming like a little girl!" she taunted.  
  
"Fat chance, Kya!" Komaru responded, sticking his tongue out at her. "If I could get my hands on that impostor, I'd..."  
  
There was a ring at the gate, signifying that someone had virtually rung the doorbell. Komaru skittered out of the dojo. Kya and Sobakasu exchanged glances, then trailed after him.  
  
Komaru opened the door to find Sobakasu's grandfather standing there.  
  
"Don't mind me, I've just come to collect my granddaughter," he said, smiling. "I also need you to run a little errand for me, Komaru."  
  
"Hai, ojii-san?" Komaru answered as Sobakasu ran over to her grandfather.  
  
"I need you to run to the local market and pick up a few things," was the answer as the old man pulled a small list out of his pocket. He handed it to Komaru, who took it and looked it over. "Do you think you'll be able to get everything delivered before sunset?"  
  
Komaru smirked and held up the list. He pointed to a particular item on it.  
  
"What, are you planning on throwing a party tonight, ojii-san?" he joked. The old man blushed.  
  
"Can you just get them delivered by sunset, Komaru-kun?" the old man asked. Komaru wagged a finger at the old man.  
  
"You know I can't make a promise, 'cause I almost always break 'em. But you know I'll try my hardest to get this stuff to you before then," Komaru answered.  
  
The old man nodded and backed up.  
  
"I trust you, Komaru. Just try not to come too long after sunset, if possible." The old man turned and left, taking Sobakasu with him.  
  
"What was on that list that made you taunt him like that?" Kya asked. Komaru turned and showed it to her. She grinned. "Sake?! With a six year old like Sobakasu in the house?!" Kya laughed.  
  
"Now you see what I was talking about," Komaru answered, grinning again. "Hey, do you think you could watch the dojo while I'm gone?"  
  
Kya nodded, brushing away tears.  
  
"Then ja ne, Kya!" Komaru picked up a bag lying near the gate and then stepped through them, closing them behind him. He then walked down the street, occasionally checking his list.  
  
*******  
  
~Kuso! Almost sunset! I've gotta hurry!~ Komaru thought, breaking into a run. He had put the things he had found in the bag, and now was trying to run while making sure he didn't lose anything.  
  
"Halt!" a female voice suddenly called out. Komaru and everyone else in the square stopped and looked at the speaker. All except for one person.  
  
The woman who had shouted wore a pink shirt with a forest green vest over it. She had a short, tree-bark brown skirt and wore brown leather boots. She had black gloves and also wore a katana at her waist. Her violet eyes scanned the crowd, and spotted the person who hadn't stopped. "Hey, you!" she called, staring directly at the person. "I said, halt!" The person stopped, but didn't look at her. "Why aren't you looking at me?"  
  
"Well, for starters, all you said was 'halt,' that it was," the person answered. ((Can you guess who this is? ^_~))  
  
The woman glared at the person.  
  
"I also didn't say you could be a smart ass!" she shouted. "Look at me or else!"  
  
Komaru looked at the person who this was being directed at. The person was a woman as well, and she had her back to him. She had long black hair with a ribbon tied at around waist height on her. She wore a black kimono which had a gold dragon printed on the back. She also wore a pair of katanas, one on each side. But her arms seemed to hang loosely at her sides. She seemed to be in no hurry to attack or be attacked.  
  
The woman with the dragon kimono lowered her head slightly.  
  
"I can tell from your attitude that you are not worth the effort it would take to lift my head to look at you," she answered, perfectly calm. "That you aren't."  
  
The other woman growled and then drew her katana.  
  
"Don't you know who I am?!" she shouted. "I am the great Shinimegami Kyosawa!"  
  
To everyone's surprise, the woman with the dragon kimono laughed.  
  
"You? The great killer?" She laughed again and shook her head. "You are naught but a child who wishes to look big, that you are. Kyosawa-san has been missing for ten years. You are too young to have been her." She began to walk away.  
  
"Why youÑ! How dare you insult the great Shinimegami! Omae o koroso!" The woman who claimed to be the legendary Shinimegami lunged at the woman with the dragon kimono.  
  
Just as she was about to bring her katana down on the woman's head, though, the woman with the dragon kimono took out the katana on her left side and blocked the oncoming blow with perfect ease. They stayed like that for a second, but then the other woman found herself being flung right back into the place she had been standing on.  
  
"Let that be a lesson to you: don't attack random people, for you can never tell when they might be very skilled," the woman with the dragon kimono told the other one as she sheathed her katana. "That you can't." She smiled, then continued on her way.  
  
"Whoa..." Komaru breathed. "I wonder who she was?" He then checked the sky. "Gyah! The sun's almost gone!! I gotta get going NOW!!" He then ran as fast as he could towards the old man's house, all thoughts of the brief battle and revenge temporarily pushed to the side.  
  
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((AN: You may skip most of this conversation if you wish; came out a LOT longer than I thought it would.... For my view on what I want in a review, skip to the last paragraph on this page.))  
  
Me: Well, there you have it! Chapter one!  
  
animegirl101: *petting the ears of a very peeved Inuyasha* Ooh! I wonder if Komaru ever makes it in time!  
  
Me: *sweatdrops* Well, you'll get to find out in the next chapter!  
  
animegirl101: Really?! YAY!!  
  
Me: You'll also get to meet Shiori for the first time!  
  
animegirl101: Cool! *pauses* Hey, IBB, what do all those japanese words mean?  
  
Me: Oh! I almost forgot to define those! Thanx for reminding me!  
  
animegirl101: You're welcome!  
  
Me: Let's see... I'll go in order! So... the first word isÑ  
  
animegirl101: Gi! What is that?  
  
Me: A gi is the type of thing japanese guys wear.  
  
Inuyasha: Like this thing. *holds up a sleeve for emphasis*  
  
Me: I believe so, yeah.  
  
animegirl101: Oooh, cool. Okay, then there's, um... oh! Wait! We missed something! Dojo!  
  
Me: Oh! Let's see... uh... a dojo is kind of like a... gym/class-type-place. Yeah. Somethin' like that....  
  
animegirl101: Ooookay... let's see, what else... oh! Shinimegami! That word's used a lot, but what does it mean?  
  
Me: Ah! That's easy! It means "goddess of death."  
  
animegirl101: Ooooh. O.o Really?  
  
Me: *nods* Yep, yep! That it is!  
  
animegirl101: Why do they call her that?  
  
Me: You'll find out next chapter.  
  
animegirl101: Oh! Okay! Hm... what else do we need to define... oh yeah, the names! Kyosawa and Kurushima!  
  
Me: As far as I know they're just nonsense.  
  
animegirl101: *looking disappointed* Oh.  
  
Me: But the next word, Sobakasu, the name of the red-head, means "Freckles."  
  
animegirl101: Oooh! That makes sense, since she has red hair AND freckles!  
  
Me: Yup! Anything else we need to define?  
  
animegirl101: Uh... yeah, Komaru-onii-san! First of all, what does all that mean, and second of all, why didn't she just call him Komaru?  
  
Me: Well, -ko is an honorific usually used for children's names, and -maru is a common suffix for guys' names. Yeah, whenever I can't think of any guy names I take something I know and add -maru to the end of it. ^^;;  
  
Inuyasha: *muttering to himself* I'll bet you do that a lot.  
  
Me: *glares at him* What did you say, dog-boy?  
  
Inuyasha: Feh. *turns head away*  
  
Me: *growls at him but continues* My understanding of onii is that it means, essentially, "someone else's older brother." -San is an honorific used either for someone older than the speaker or for people that the speaker doesn't know very well.  
  
animegirl101: So, which is she using?  
  
Me: The "person I'm talking about/to is older than me" version.  
  
animegirl101: Ooooh.  
  
Me: Anything else?  
  
animegirl101: Um... ojii-sama and ojii-san. What's that all about? Do they mean two different things or something?  
  
Me: No, they both mean "grandfather," it's just that Sobakasu looks up to him more than Komaru, who kind of has this sort of equal relationship with the old man.  
  
animegirl101: Uh... okay... anyway... what does imouto mean?  
  
Me: The opposite of onii in gender, number, and... *realizes she's getting strange looks from the other two* ...uh, oops, wrong language. It means the opposite of onii in gender and age difference.  
  
animegirl101: Which means...?  
  
Me: *rolls eyes* It means little sister.  
  
animegirl101: Oh! Why didn't you say so before?  
  
Me: *popping vein* Let's just move on... hm... okay, let's just do it this way to make it go faster: Hai= yes, yeah, stuff like that Komaru-kun= -kun is a suffix attached to guys' names that tends to indicate that the speaker is pretty familiar with the guy in question, or that the (usually male) speaker is older than the guy in question Sake= rice wine. Very strong stuff, from what I gather Ja ne= an informal way of saying goodbye which indicates that you think you'll be seeing the other person again sometime that day. That's what I think it's used for, anyway... Kuso= normally means "dammit," but is sometimes used to mean "shit." In the place where it's used, it could mean either Kyosawa-san= she's essentially saying "Ms Kyosawa" Omae o koroso= "I'm going to kill you!" Using "omae" with someone you don't know/ know well is considered hostile.  
  
I think that should be it... so, yeah, please review and, please, no flames. Constructive criticism is welcome, but flames are just plain useless, and will probably only result in a very bitchy authoress. So, please, no flames. If you find something wrong, be nice and tell me what it is, and, if you can, tell me what I can do to change it. Thank you. 


	2. The Wanderer of Legends Part Two

Ronin Shiori* By IBB  
  
*Masterless Samurai Shiori  
  
Me (still IBB): Yep, this is chapter two! That it is!  
  
animegirl101: Ooh! What're you gonna do this time?  
  
Me: I'm not gonna spoil it for everyone!  
  
animegirl101: You can tell me and Inuyasha, can't you? *gives me a pleading look as she tugs on Inuyasha's ears*  
  
Inuyasha: Ow! *grumbles*  
  
Me: *sweatdrops* I don't think you should tug on Inu-kun's ears, AG...  
  
animegirl101: But they're so fluffy!! *plays with Inuyasha's ears*  
  
Me: *seeing that it's hopeless* Hmph.  
  
*Sesshoumaru randomly walks in*  
  
Me: *sees Sesshoumaru* *squeal* 'Scuse me a moment! *runs after Sesshoumaru, who tries to keep away from me*  
  
(P.S. Yep, you've got the right person, fishkisser! ^_^)  
  
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Chapter Two: The Wanderer of Legends ~ Part Two ~  
  
Komaru lay awake, staring at the ceiling.  
  
~Who was she?~ he thought. ~She fought the so-called Shinimegami with the practiced ease of a full samurai... but she looked to be no more than 19 or 20...~ He turned over onto his stomach and hugged his pillow. ~And she spoke as if she knew everything about the legendary Shinimegami.... Who was she? Where did she come from? And what was she doing there, at that precise moment? Was it just an accident that she was there, and that the fake Shinimegami happened to spot her in the crowd?~ He buried his face in his pillow. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. He looked up groggily and sat up. He put his gi on and walked out of his room.  
  
He approached the gate, yawning. He sleepily opened the gate, but suddenly became wide awake. It wasn't just because he realized that the woman who had been going around calling herself the Shinimegami was on his doorstep, or that she had obviously brought a lot of other very unpleasant-looking people with her. It was also due to the fact that the woman was suddenly holding the tip of her sword right up against his neck. Komaru tried to gulp, but he felt paralyzed right then and there.  
  
~Oh kami-sama...~ he thought weakly to himself.  
  
"Wha- what d- do you want?" he asked shakily.  
  
The woman smiled evilly at him.  
  
"Only to see this dojo fall," she answered very quietly.  
  
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"Well, this is the place, that it is," said the woman with the dragon kimono from earlier. "Just as I remember it..." She stopped about two feet away from the dojo gates. "Now that is strange; the gates are open." She squinted and tilted her head slightly. "And... are those the sounds of a fray I hear?" She listened for a few moments. Her eyes went wide. "Megami-sama! It is!" She rushed into the dojo as fast as she could.  
  
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"AH!" Komaru shouted as he was yet again flung against the far wall of the dojo. His sword fell out of his reach to his right side. He held his left shoulder, which was bleeding.  
  
The attacking woman snorted.  
  
"Ha! Did you expect to be able to defeat me and my boys with a mere reverse-bladed katana?" she sneered. Komaru winced and avoided looking up. He heard the woman pad up to him, and felt his head being tilted back to look at her. "Bakana shonen." ((From now on I'll define the words and phrases as I go. Bakana shonen means "stupid boy."))  
  
"Omee wa sukeban desu," Komaru said. (("Omee" is a form of you that makes guys sound tough. Not that surprising, given Komaru's character so far. The whole thing is supposed to mean "You are a (girl) gangster." If anybody thinks it's wrong, point it out. I'm not that good with Japanese, here...))  
  
"Omae o koroso," she answered, and raised her sword to slice him in two. Komaru bowed his head and shut his eyes.  
  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, that I wouldn't," said a female voice from the doorway. Everyone in the room looked at the speaker.  
  
"Temee!" shouted the lead woman. ((My understanding is that it literally means "You f***!" It's actually a form of "you" that can be used in conversation, but not in polite ones.))  
  
"Watakushi wa Shiori desu," said Shiori, the woman in the dragon kimono from before. ((This phrase means "I am Shiori." My understanding is that "watakushi" is a very polite form of "I." [animegirl101: Stop putting in so much Japanese! You're going to confuse people!] Hey, all the Japanese "I"s and "you"s help show the different characters' personalities! [Inuyasha: Just keep writing, will you?] Humph. *sticks tongue out at Inuyasha*))  
  
Komaru's eyes widened.  
  
~It's her! The woman from before!~ he thought to himself. ~So her name is Shiori. ...Why does that name sound familiar?~  
  
"What do you want?" the woman shouted.  
  
"Only for you to leave the inhabitants of this dojo alone," Shiori answered.  
  
The woman sneered, and nodded slightly. Some of the men moved to block Shiori's path.  
  
"I would rather that we not fight every time we meet," Shiori said.  
  
"You could beat me on my own, but can you defeat ten men at a time?" the woman sneered. The ten men blocking Shiori's path moved closer. Shiori bowed her head slightly.  
  
"Do you wish for me to kill them?" Shiori asked, softly.  
  
"What do you think?" the woman answered.  
  
"I am afraid I cannot do that, then," Shiori responded, softly. "That I can't."  
  
The woman grinned evilly.  
  
"Then I guess they will have to kill you!" she shouted, and the men ran towards Shiori.  
  
Shiori didn't move a muscle. She didn't take on a fighting stance. She merely stood like a stone. All of the ten men raised their swords. They brought them all down in perfect unison.  
  
There were ten loud "thunks" as all ten swords went swishing through empty air and got lodged in the floor. The men all looked around in confusion. Where had she gone?  
  
"You missed," Shiori said from up in the air above the men. Everyone in the room looked up in astonishment. She did a flip and landed behind the ten men. They all ditched their swords and ran over to her. She barely glanced back at them.  
  
One man swung at her head. She ducked at the last second and punched the man in the gut. But not only did she knock the wind out of him, but she also managed to send him sprawling into the man behind him. The other eight men hesitated for a brief second, but that was all the time Shiori needed to punch another one in the gut. The one next to him swung for her gut, but she bent over backwards and grabbed his wrist between her ankles. She then did a backhand spring and tossed the man into the wall on Komaru's left. She landed in a crouch and then tripped the guy that came running at her. That left five out of the original ten. The remaining five tried to rush her. They fanned out and circled her. She remained crouched. The one in front of her tried to kick her at the same time as the one behind her. She merely bent over the leg behind her and pushed it down with her head while she brought her legs up and caught the foot of the guy in front of her on the edge of her kimono and forced it up. There was a cracking and a ripping sound and the man fell onto his back groaning in pain. Shiori's momentum kept her body moving, and so she moved her legs so that her feet were pointing towards the other man's shoulders. She then pushed off of the ground with her hands and used the momentum in the man's leg to help push her up. She rammed her feet into his shoulders and knocked him over. She followed him to the ground. There were a pair of crunches as her full body weight was put onto his shoulders from the front. Another man moved into her path. She pushed off of the shoulders of the poor man she had sat on and dove headlong at the other man's stomach. She hit her mark and knocked the wind out of him. She also went falling forward with her target, but did a handspring out of the way as the remaining ones took a swing at her. There were only two men left of the original ten. One of them ran ahead of the other and tried to attack her while her back was turned. She abruptly leaned forward on one foot and hit the man in the chin with her other heel. He went sprawling back, blood coming out of his mouth. He fell over onto his back, coughing. What was surprising was that apparently she had broken his jaw. She kept going and did a handspring in order to keep herself from falling on her face awkwardly and hurting herself. The remaining man, however, had made a break for his sword, and had managed to quickly pull it out of the ground while she was busy fighting the other man. He rushed at her, holding his sword up high. She stood as still as a stone, with her left side facing him. But just as he brought his sword down to attempt to cleave her in half, she somehow moved out of the way faster than the eye could track. She brought her left hand down in a judo chop on the man's hands, causing him to drop his sword. She then brought her leg up and kicked the man in the gut, knocking the wind out of him as well. She moved out of the way as he slumped to the ground.  
  
The whole fight had taken almost three minutes. ((If anybody got lost, then tell me when you review. [animegirl101: I think I'm lost... @_@] I almost got lost myself...))  
  
~Kami-sama... how in the world did she do that?!~ Komaru thought, staring at Shiori. She wasn't even breathing hard. ~She did it with so little effort! She doesn't even look the slightest bit tired!~  
  
The woman took a step back.  
  
"Wh- who are you?!" she exclaimed. Shiori looked at her.  
  
"I already answered that, that I did," Shiori answered. "Watakushi wa Shiori desu."  
  
"Th- there's n- no way you could be hu- human!" the woman exclaimed, taking another step back. She shook her head. "But why... why didn't you kill them?!"  
  
Shiori lowered her head.  
  
"Because..." she answered, softly. "I have taken an oath to never kill." Her voice then became so low that she could barely be heard. "Ever again." Neither Komaru nor the other woman heard her.  
  
The other woman flinched.  
  
"Men!" she called, rallying the last of her fighters. "We shall go, now! No time to gather the fallen!" They exited past Shiori, who made no move to stop them.  
  
Shiori locked eyes with Komaru. In the virtually non-existant light of the new moon ((Hint hint all you Inuyasha fans)), Komaru was pretty sure that her eyes were a deep violet or even brown. She stepped towards Komaru, who tried to back away. She stopped.  
  
"Daijobu desu ka?" she asked, suddenly. ((That means "Are you all right?" The "ka" indicates that it's a question))  
  
Komaru, startled, nodded silently. He then winced and remembered his shoulder.  
  
"She stabbed you there, didn't she?" Shiori asked, gently. Komaru looked up at her in surprise, then nodded again. Shiori nodded. "I thought I saw blood on her sword. Do you need any help getting up?"  
  
"Nah, I can handle it myself." Komaru let go of his shoulder and pushed himself up using both hands. He winced as he did so, but grit his teeth to avoid making a noise. "What are you doing here, anyway?"  
  
Shiori seemed surprised. She put a hand behind her head and laughed nervously.  
  
"Ah ha ha... I... was just passing through, that I was!" Shiori answered nervously. "A friend told me about this dojo, that they did! I was coming to investigate when I heard the sounds of a fight, and so I decided to investigate, that I did!"  
  
Komaru didn't look very convinced.  
  
"You're a wandering bum, aren't you?" he asked, bluntly.  
  
Shiori fell over.  
  
"You aren't the first one to ask me that, that you aren't..."  
  
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Me: Well, there ends another chapter! Hope you enjoyed it! *sees Sesshoumaru trying to get away* Come back here Sesshoumaru-bishonen-sama! *runs off after a now swiftly retreating Sesshoumaru*  
  
animegirl101 & Inuyasha: O.o *look at each other with weird looks on their faces, then looks at where I've disappeared to*  
  
animegirl101: ...Uh, okay, I guess... just go review while me and Inuyasha try to get IBB to come back.... *she & Inuyasha exit after me* 


	3. The Woman Takes Her Revenge: Okami

Ronin Shiori* By IBB  
  
*Masterless Samurai Shiori  
  
Me (yet again IBB): *is dragged in by animegirl101 and Inuyasha while clinging tightly to a somewhat singed Sesshoumaru* *animegirl101 and Inuyasha are also somewhat singed*  
  
Inuyasha: *mutters something about "damn pyros"*  
  
animegirl101: Yeah, as you can probably guess, Inuyasha and I had to go forcibly get IBB.  
  
Inuyasha: You never said anything about her being able to conjure fire like that!  
  
animegirl101: I didn't know she could do that! Give me a break, here! She never told me!  
  
Me: *insane/happy* That's because you never asked!  
  
*Inuyasha and animegirl101 plop me in front of the camera*  
  
Me: ...Wait, am I supposed to start the fic now?  
  
Inuyasha & animegirl101: *angrily* YES!  
  
Me: *shrinks back, still clinging to Sesshoumaru* Okay, okay, don't need to be so mean about it... anyway, here's chapter three! *gestures and almost falls off of Sesshoumaru*  
  
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Chapter Three: The Woman Takes Her Revenge ~ Shiori's Disciple Okami ~  
  
Sobakasu hid behind Komaru and peered cautiously at the young woman in front of them. Kya leaned over and looked at Sobakasu.  
  
"Sobakasu, there's nothing to be afraid of. Sure, last night she managed to defeat ten men without drawing her weapon or totally killing them, but she's not going to hurt you!" Kya told her.  
  
Sobakasu hid even more behind Komaru. Shiori gave Kya an uneasy look.  
  
"I don't think that's helping, Kya-sama..." Shiori sighed. Kya turned and glared at Shiori.  
  
"Well, why don't YOU try doing this yourself, then!" Kya got up and stormed off into the corner. Shiori gave her a nonplused look, then looked at Sobakasu. Sobakasu realized that Shiori was looking at her and pulled on Komaru's gi to hide her face. Komaru twitched his gi and uncovered the six- year-old's face again. Shiori sighed and crouched down. Sobakasu squealed and tried to hide again. Shiori gave her a gentle look.  
  
"There's no need to be afraid little one," she said gently. Komaru arched an eyebrow. Considering the events from the other day, this was not something that he had been expecting. Shiori leaned forward a little bit. Sobakasu hid away further behind Komaru. Shiori gave Sobakasu a friendly smile. Sobakasu answered with a curious look. Shiori leaned forward a little bit more. Sobakasu shrunk back a little. Shiori leaned even farther forward, while Sobakasu hid further. It went on like this for a while, until Shiori suddenly lost her balance and landed awkwardly on her face with a squawk. Everyone else present in the room gave her a strange look. Sobakasu then warily came out of hiding.  
  
"Are you okay, Shiori-san?" she asked, cautiously.  
  
"I'm fine," came the muffled reply. "I meant to do this, that I did!"  
  
Sobakasu wrinkled her nose and gave her a disbelieving look.  
  
"Then why did you make such a funny surprised sound?" she pointed out. Shiori looked up at her and grinned sheepishly, sweatdropping.  
  
"Whatever do you mean?" she asked. Komaru detected a small hint of sarcasm in her voice, but it wasn't until after he had thought about it for a moment.  
  
In a small huff, Sobakasu stormed over and helped Shiori up, reprimanding her for not hearing herself. Kya gaped at the sight. She got up and came over to Shiori and Sobakasu, the latter of which had drifted away from reprimanding the former and was just idly talking. Shiori responded to the little girl's ranting as if she were used to hearing it. There was a faraway look in Shiori's eyes which only Komaru noticed. He narrowed his eyes in thought.  
  
~Why does she suddenly look so distant?~ he wondered. ~Does Sobakasu remind her of a kid she lost or something?~  
  
"Are you listening, Shiori-san?!" Sobakasu exclaimed, shaking both her and Komaru out of their thoughts. Shiori gave Sobakasu a friendly grin.  
  
"Yes, of course I was!" she answered. Sobakasu puffed her cheeks out in annoyance.  
  
"Then why did Shiori-san look like she was thinking of something else?" Komaru looked at Sobakasu in amazement. He was surprised that she had actually noticed. He looked at Shiori. He saw her smile slowly, as if trying to keep herself from making a different face.  
  
"You're very perceptive for someone your age," she commented.  
  
"Shiori-san shouldn't try to go around the question!" Sobakasu exclaimed. "Why did Shiori-san look like she was thinking of something else?!"  
  
Shiori's smile faded, and she bowed her head slightly, letting her bangs hide her eyes. She hesitated for a moment before answering.  
  
"...You just... reminded me of someone I used to know," she answered softly. "That's all..."  
  
Kya and Komaru exchanged glances. They could easily see the awkwardness of the moment, and wanted to have the subject dropped.  
  
Sobakasu, on the other hand, saw the awkwardness, but her curiosity got the better of her.  
  
"What happened to her?" she asked. Kya and Komaru sweatdropped.  
  
"Ah, Sobakasu-chan," Kya started.  
  
"Are you sure that was such a good thing to ask?" Komaru finished.  
  
Sobakasu looked at them.  
  
"What? Did Shiori-san already tell you but left Sobakasu out?" she said, pouting.  
  
"That's not what we meant!" Komaru and Kya said at the same time.  
  
Shiori chuckled. Everyone looked at her. Shiori stood up and smiled at all of them.  
  
"I don't truly know what happened to her," she said, "but if she is still around, she would probably be around So-" She stumbled. She then put a hand behind her head and continued. "I mean, she would probably be about Komaru's age, that she would."  
  
Sobakasu grinned and turned to Komaru.  
  
"Did Komaru hear that?" Sobakasu squeaked. "If we could find her, Komaru would have someone his own age to play with!"  
  
"Whoa, now wait a minute!" Komaru exclaimed, turning pink. The three kids got into a big discussion on this topic, while Shiori watched.  
  
~Maybe I shouldn't have said that, that I shouldn't,~ she thought. She looked down. ~But if I had said what I had originally intended to say- that she would be around Sobakasu's age- it would not have made sense, that it wouldn't.~ She looked back up at the... uh... vividly discussing children. A sad look came to her face. ~But would it have not made sense to them... or to my story?~  
  
She watched the children's discussion for a little longer before sighing softly and turning away.  
  
~It's been a while since I've been among children,~ she thought. ~I guess I'm going to have to get used to it again.~  
  
She quietly walked outside and went around to the back.  
  
"Hey, where did Shiori go?" Komaru exclaimed. The girls stopped and looked around.  
  
"Yeah, where DID she go?" Kya wondered. She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Shiori-san! Shiori-san!"  
  
Sobakasu mimicked Kya.  
  
"Shiori-san! Shiori-san! Doko desu ka?" (("Where are you?")) she called.  
  
The calls fell on deaf ears, despite the fact that the ears in question were able to hear them...  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------  
  
Shiori wandered around in the backyard, keeping her thoughts to herself. She suddenly stopped and took a half-step back just as a throwing dagger embedded itself at her feet. She narrowed her eyes and looked around, her left hand reaching for the sword at her left. She suddenly jumped up as another throwing dagger flew through the air and embedded itself in the ground where she had been.  
  
She landed behind the dagger and looked around apprehensively, her other hand reaching for the same sword.  
  
"Who's there?" she asked. She crouched a little bit. She turned and jumped again just as another dagger flew through the air where her stomach had been, this time from a different direction. She landed easily and bared her teeth in the general direction that the dagger had come from. "Show yourself!" she barked.  
  
"If you wish!" called a voice behind her. She turned in time to see a blur heading straight towards her. She ducked and it flew right over her. It rolled to a gentle stop and turned to face her.  
  
It was a boy who looked to be about the same age as Komaru. He had long, shaggy black hair with grey flecks tied up in a ponytail. Wolf ears poked out of the wild mess, which also covered the area where his ears should have been. He wore a white chest plate, which was somewhat tinged with red in some spots, secured by straps around his waist and his shoulders. He had simple wooden shoulder plates on the straps. He had brown pants, but the right leg had been torn off at around mid-thigh. He wore a simple brown belt, and a shaggy wolf-like tail the same color as his hair wagged lazily behind him. But what was most interesting about him was the pair of knee and shin plates he wore: they were each decorated with the same gold dragon as the one on the back of Shiori's kimono, and even had a similar color sceme- the part containing the dragon design was black.  
  
The two of them smirked at each other, before getting into battle stances.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------  
  
"It's coming from back here!" Kya shouted, pointing towards the back of the dojo.  
  
"What if Shiori-san's in trouble? What if she's hurt?!" Sobakasu worried.  
  
"Ah, don't worry, Sobakasu-chan," Komaru assured her. "Shiori-san can take care of herself."  
  
They all rounded the corner to find...  
  
Shiori fighting a boy who looked like a cross between a wolf and a human. The boy seemed to be relying on a mixture of claws, teeth, and throwing daggers. Shiori on the other hand was using a mix of speed and other tactics to slowly wear down her opponent. Shiori only looked vaguely tired, whereas her opponent looked like if he took a few more hits he'd be down for the count.  
  
They stood staring each other down, each looking ready to attack.  
  
For a moment, nothing seemed to move.  
  
Suddenly, the strange boy gave a shout and leaped toward Shiori, exposing the throwing daggers he had between each of his fingers. For a moment, she didn't react. Then, suddenly, she sprang up and in a blur of movement slapped all of the throwing daggers out of his hands before going behind him and grabbing his arms. She pulled his arms behind him and then knocked him forward. The end product was that she was now sitting on top of the poor boy and pinning his arms behind his back with only one hand. The boy had a dazed look on his face. Shiori beamed at him.  
  
The boy growled and glared at her.  
  
"Okay, okay, it's good to see you too," he growled. "Now, would you mind getting OFF of me, Shiori-sama?!"  
  
Before anyone could ask, "You know him?" Shiori got off of the strange boy, still beaming.  
  
"Hopefully you've learned something from this, Okami," she chirped. The boy, Okami, sat up and glared at her again.  
  
"Yeah, I've learned that it's not a good idea to try and fight you, even though it's been a while," Okami grumbled, rubbing his back where Shiori had sat on him. Shiori sweatdropped.  
  
"That's not what I meant, Okami, that it isn't," she said. Okami gave her a quizzical look. Then he suddenly grinned and burst out laughing.  
  
"I can't believe you still talk that way!" he laughed. He shook his head. "Even after all this time, some things never change."  
  
"Okay, hold on a sec!" Komaru exclaimed. Shiori and Okami looked over to them with different expressions on their faces. Shiori's was one of surprise, whereas Okami's was a look of cold indifference.  
  
"What?" Okami asked harshly.  
  
"Would one of you two mind explaining to us just HOW you two know each other?!" Komaru demanded.  
  
Shiori tensed up at this. Okami opened his mouth to speak. Shiori noticed this and, too fast for anyone else to track, zipped over and clamped a hand over his mouth. She gave them a big, embarrassed grin.  
  
"Okami was once my disciple, that he was!" she said.  
  
"Really?" Komaru asked, surprised. Okami rolled his eyes and removed her hand.  
  
"You'd better believe it, pal," Okami answered. "She was once a really really good swordsman- er..." Shiori bopped him lightly on the head. He looked at her and sweatdropped. "Ehehehe... I meant samurai..."  
  
"If that's what you meant, then why didn't you say it?" Shiori answered, her tone somewhat cold. He gave her an embarrassed grin. "Anyway, what are you doing here? I haven't seen you for quite a while, that I haven't."  
  
"A woman with a pretty strange outfit and violet eyes sent me to go after ya," he said, "but she never actually told me to kill you." He grinned at her. "Never thought that she had meant YOU when she said 'Shiori.'"  
  
Shiori chuckled at this. She offered a hand to help him up. He took it and she pulled him into a standing position.  
  
Komaru, meanwhile, had a contemplating look on his face.  
  
"Hey, Okami was it?" he said. Okami gave him a cold look.  
  
"Yeah?" he answered gruffly.  
  
"Did you happen to catch the name of the woman who sent you after Shiori?" Komaru asked.  
  
Okami grinned.  
  
"Yeah. She claimed to be the great Shinimegami Kyosawa, but I know better." Okami tapped the side of his nose. "I can recognize her sent a mile away, and let me tell you, that woman was definitely not her."  
  
Komaru scowled at this.  
  
"Not HER again!" he muttered. "When will she learn?"  
  
Okami gave Komaru a quizzical look, then looked to Shiori.  
  
"Y'know, sensei," he said, putting sarcastic emphasis on the word "sensei," "I think we've got quite a bit to catch up on."  
  
Shiori, who either didn't pick up on the sarcasm or was used to it, answered, "Yes, that we do!"  
  
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IBB: *is still clinging to Sesshoumaru and, for some strange reason, purring like a cat*  
  
animegirl101, Inuyasha, and Sesshoumaru: O.o;;;;  
  
IBB: What?!  
  
animegirl101: Uh... just go review please....  
  
IBB: *getting angry* What are you all staring at?! 


End file.
